Needle-guard for machines for sewing, embroidering, &amp;c.



I. L. MILLER. NEEDLE GUARD FOR MACHINES FOR SEWING, EMBROIDEBING, @zc.

' APPLICATION FILED AUG. 14. 1914.

L%%,5fi6. I Patented July 24., 191?. I

LL ll ISIDORE LEO MILLER, OF MANHATTAN, NEW YORK NEEDLE-Grill) FOR MACHINES FOR SEWING, EMBROIDEBING, &q.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July a, rare.

Application filed August 14., 1914. serial no. esa'rae.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, llsmonn LEO MILLER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Manhattan, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and. useful Improvements in Needle-Guards for Machines for Sewing, Embroidering, &c., of which the following 1s a specification.

-Th1s invention relates to a needle-guard for machines for sewin embroidering, etc., and the main object o the invention is to provide a safety device which will at all times durin the operation of the machine mask the n edle at the point where the operator locates the work and thus" prevent m]11ry to the operator.

In carrying my invention into efi'ect ll employ a needle-guard that surrounds the needle in the danger zone and has a suitable relative movement with respect to the needle and needle-bar when the machine is in operat1on. Preferably the guard is an extensible device, the usual construction being one in which the guard comprises a series of tubular telescopic sections connected at their upper end to the needle-bar and resting at their lower end on the uppermost plate through which the needle passes. The con structlon is such that as the needle-bar rises the guard will automatically be extended and as the needle-bar descends the guard will be automatically shortened, the lower end of the guard preferably remaining at all times in contact with the aforesaid plate.

Other features of the invention not hereinbefore referred to will be hereinafter described and claimed and are illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is an elevation of so much of a sewin machine head of well-known constructlon as is necessary for coaction with my improved needle-guard;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail of a portion of the same illustrating in vertical section and elevation the extended position of the needle-guard, and

Fig. 3' is a similar view showing the needle-guard contracted when the needlebar and the needle are down.-

' Similar characters designate like parts in all the figures of the drawings.

My improved needle-guard may be applied to any suitable type of machine for sewing, embroidering, etc., and in the em I. bodiment illustrated is shown in connection 'when extended while permittin telescope one within another.

with the well-known Singer type of sewing machine. In the embodiment illustrated :2 designates the forward end of the head of the sewing machine in which is mounted the usual needle-bar, 3, which, it will be understood, is intended to be operated in the ordinary manner by the mechanism commonly employed in such machine (not shown). At its lower end this needle-bar is. reduced, .as is usual, and has the usual longitudinal groove in. its face for receiving the head of the needle, n, to be clamped. To the lower end of the needle-bar there is also shown secured the usual detachable foot and threadguide, 6, through which the needle-thread passes. A clamp of any usual or suitable construction is shown at 7 as detachably secured to the reduced lower end of the needlebar, it having a suitable clamp-screw, '8, by means of which it may be secured in place and released at will. This clamp is intended in the preferred construction to carry the needle-guard before described.

My improved needle-guard, as before stated, is intended to surround the needle in the danger zone and is preferably coaxial therewith and so combined with the adjacent parts as to have a relative movement in'the direction of travel of the needle. The preferred construction is one in which the lower end of the device is substantiallyimmovable with respect to the plate 9 through which the needle passes, but has at its upper end a movement relative to the lower end of the guard. This relative movement may be obtained in any suitable type of extensible guard surrounding the needle but the preferred construction is one in which the device is tubular, coaxial with the needle and adapted to telescope vertically. The telescopic guard shown is designated generally by g, and in the particular construction lllustrated comprises four tubular sectlons associated in such a manner as to be capable of extension substantially to their maximum length when the needle-bar is at the top of its stroke and of being drawn in so thatthe needle-guard has its minimum length when the needle-bar is at the bottom ofits stroke. The four sections illustrated are designated respectively by 10, 10*, 10 and 10. The four sections may be combined in any suitable manner to prevent their separation them to as a whole may be supported in any proper he guard lltl manner but in this case is fastened to the needlebar so that the major portion of the needle-guard will move up and down with the needle-bar and the needle. In the specific construction illustrated the upper section 10 of the guard is connected dn'ectly to the clamp 7. This connection may be made in any suitable manner. Here the clamp has a palr of depending ribs, 1111, at opposite sides thereof to which the section 10 of the guard is secured, as by means of set-screws, 12. Thus, when the sections 10, 10 10 and 10 are properly connected for movement relative to one another without separating, it will be evident that the needle-guard as a whole will be suspended as a unit from the needle-bar. Its-movements are intended to be controlled conjointly by the needle-bar and by a suitable element of the machine adjacent to the work. This element is in the present case the plate 9 through which the needle passes. When in operation the needleguard will rest at its lower end, that is, the under side of the lowermost section 10 will rest, upon the plate 9 and the upper sections 10, 10 and 10 of the needle-guard will move up or down more or less under the influence of the movement of the needle-bar. For the purpose of maintaining the sections of the telescopic guard in proper working relation and permittin the proper relative movements thereof without the use of extraneous or additional devices for maintaining them in assembled condition, the various sections 10, 10, 10 and 10 are preferably so tapered that their tapered walls alone will maintain them in the proper working relation and prevent separation of the elements even when extended to their utmost length. In this case each of said elements is shown as tapered both internally and externally in order that the various sections may slide up and down freely and yet be positively prevented from separating even when the needle-bar is at the top of its stroke and the ard extended to its maximum-length. O viously the slight taper of the inner and outer faces of the sections 10-10 will cause all of the elements to wedge together if the device is extended to its maximum len is at the top of its stroke and the lower end operating the coaxial sections of the telescopic guard will be projected and drawn in under the influence of gravity and the v needle-bar respectively as the latter ascends and descends as the weight of the sections is sufiiclent to maintain the various sections 10, 10 and 10 of the guard normally at gth. .When the needle-barthe lower limit of movement thereof and they will be positively raised in the normal 4 operation of the device only when the upper section 10 connected thereto is drawn up positively by the needle-bar The needle-guard will of course be so constructed as not to interfere with the threading of the needle or the proper operation of those arts of the machine with which it is inten ed to ceact. The drawings show sufficient space beneath the thread-guide, 6, and above the upper edge of the section 10 of the telescopic guard to permit the thread to be passed through the needle-guard readily. As shown in the drawings the guard is detachable as a unit from-the remainder of the mechanism. Obviously a guard of the type described may be secured in operative relation with the other parts in various ways.

What I claim is:

1. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a needle-bar and needle, and with a plate having a. needle-opening, of a tubular needle-guard inclosing said needle substantially from the needle-bar to said plate and terminating at said plate and having a relative movement with respect to said needle and needle-bar and substantially stationary at its lower end with respect to said plate.

2. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a needle-bar and needle, and with a plate having a needle-opening, of an extensible needle-guard secured at its upper end to said needle-bar and inclosing said needle substantially from the needlebar to said plate and normally resting at its lower end upon said plate.

3. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a needle-bar and needle, and with a plate having a needle-opening, of a telescopic needle-guard inclosing sald needle substantially from the needle-bar to said plate and in operative relation therewith.

4. In a machine of the clam described, the combination with a needle-bar and needle, and with a plate having a needle-opening, of a telescopic needle-guard inclosing said said plate and having a relative movement at its lower end with respect to said needle and substantially stationary at its lower end with respect to said plate.

5. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a needle-bar and needle, and with a plate having a needle-opening, of a telescop c needle-guard secured to the needle-bar and inclosing said needle substantially from the needle-bar to said plate and in operative relation therewith.

6. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a needle-bar and needle, and with a plate having a needle-opening, of

needle substantially from the needle-bar to a'telescopio neeilleatits upper end to the wee-bar and inclosing saidl' needle substantially from the needle-Year to 7 said plate and normally resting at its lower -combination with a'iieedle-barl anol needla end upon said late--v 7. 1M maohlne of the (51m .aaaritea, at

and with a plate having a 'needle opening,

I of a vertically disposedtelescopio needleguard surrounding said needle extensible-by gravity. 1 i

a a d m l 8, Intel machine of the class oles oribetl, the

a telescopic needle-guard-sinrroun I combination with a needle-bar anol needle fand with a plate having a needle-openingot -15 g sanl needle and comprising a plurality of-slidling sections having means for limiting'their relative longitudinal movement.

9. Ina machine'of the class described, the combination with a needle bar and M1 e 1 and with a platehaging a needle-ope vment ofthe sections.

10.1 11 1 a machine ot'the I the combination with" a needle-bar ana "nee 'dle, anal with a late having a-needle-openof aitelesoopio "needle guaifl eurroan ag m l o p aa lurallity e 1 red to limit relative longitudinalirnove ing, of a vertica y disposed telesoopio nee- -coaxial sliding-sections some 0 which are p tap 2tclasafdeeorihedg V- die-guard surroundin saiol neeolle and com prising a plurality o slidingseotione hav? Ting means for linuting'their relative vertical movement, the uppermost ofwhich sections isse'cured to said needle-bar.. Y I

Signed at New-York in the County: of New ae 'noaa Lao Ea, Q 

